Device leadership negotiation among voice interface devices

• US 10,559,306 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2018
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Mixter, Kenneth, Melendo Casado, Diego, Gruenstein, Alexander Houston, Tai, Terry, Hughes, Christopher Thaddeus, Sharifi, Matthew Nirvan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pullias, Jesse S
• Application Number:
  US16/159,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20190051303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 704231-257, 704270-275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/32 Multiple recognisers used in sequence or in parallel; Score combination systems therefor, e.g. voting systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/60 for measuring the quality of voice signals

Abstract

The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for determining device leadership among voice interface devices. In one aspect, a method is performed at a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, each having microphones, a speaker, processors, and memory storing programs for execution by the processors. The first device detects a voice input. It determines a device state and a relevance of the voice input. It identifies a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant. In accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first device, the first device determines a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input and receives second scores of the criterion from other devices in the subset. In accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, the first device responds to the detected input.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, each electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices comprising one or more microphones, a speaker, one or more processors, and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors;

detecting a voice input;

determining a state of the first electronic device and a relevance of the voice input to the first electronic device;

identifying a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant;

in accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first electronic device;

determining a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input; and

receiving second scores of the criterion from other electronic devices in the subset; and

in accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, responding to the detected input.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in accordance with a determination that the first score is not higher than the second scores, foregoing responding to the detected input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in accordance with a determination that the subset excludes the first electronic device, foregoing identifying the criterion associated with the voice input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the criterion is a quality of the voice input; and

the first score is a first quality score of the voice input.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the second scores comprises receiving second quality scores of the voice input from the other electronic devices in the subset.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second quality scores are generated by the other electronic devices in the subset for detection of the voice input by the other electronic devices.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first quality score comprises a confidence level of detection of the voice input.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the first quality score comprises a signal-to-noise rating of detection of the voice input.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to the detected input comprises outputting an audible and/or a visual response to the detected voice input.

10. A first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, each of the plurality of electronic devices comprising:

one or more microphones;

a speaker;

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for;

detecting a voice input;

determining a state of the first electronic device and a relevance of the voice input to the first electronic device;

identifying a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant;

in accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first electronic device;

determining a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input; and

receiving second scores of the criterion from other electronic devices in the subset; and

in accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, responding to the detected input.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

recognizing a command in the voice input; and

in accordance with a determination that a type of the command is related to the first electronic device, responding to the detected voice input.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the criterion comprises one or more of:

a type of request, a command in the voice input, and a state of each electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices.

13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the first electronic device is further configured to be awakened by a plurality of affordances including a voice-based affordance;

and

wherein detecting the voice input is in response to the awakening of the first electronic device.

14. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the instructions for responding to the detected input further comprise instructions for outputting an audible response.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the instructions for forgoing responding to the detected input further comprise instructions for changing a state of operation of the first electronic device.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions which, when executed by a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, cause the first electronic device to perform operations comprising:

detecting a voice input;

determining a state of the first electronic device and a relevance of the voice input to the first electronic device;

identifying a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant;

in accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first electronic device;

determining a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input; and

receiving second scores of the criterion from other electronic devices in the subset; and

in accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, responding to the detected input.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the first electronic device, cause the first electronic device to perform operations comprising:

communicating to the other devices of the plurality of electronic devices to forgo responding to the detected output.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions for communicating to the other devices of the plurality of electronic devices to forgo responding to the detected input.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the detecting the voice input is performed at intervals of a predefined number of voice inputs.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein:

the plurality of electronic devices is communicatively coupled through a local network; and

the identifying and receiving are performed through the local network.